Term 3 Week 3 2024
- Principal's News by Ange Padgett
- Team Mango We All Belong!
- Prep News by Mieke Munko
- Year 1 News by Melinda White
- Year 2 News by Kylie Vaughan
- Year 3 News by Jess Rivett
- Year 4 News by Danielle O'Brien
- Year 5 News by Greg McCallum
- Year 6 News by Ben Mills
- Curriculum News
- Sporting News by The PE Department
- Community News
We have another action-packed week as we are in the thick of Week 4. Congratulations to our instrumental students who have been chosen to attend one of the workshops. I’m sure they will all learn a lot, make new friends and have fun along the way. We also have our Year 3 students attending an excursion to the Botanical Gardens and the Planetarium. Our Year 2 students will be stepping back into history as they attend a History incursion this week. Our junior and senior choir will be performing at the Pine Rivers Show. We know, as always, they’ll be great and represent our school with pride. We also have some of our Year 5 and 6 students attending interschool sport on Friday.
Thank you to our key staff for preparing our students and thank you to our parents and caregivers for supporting your children to attend these events. These events bring learning to life but also provide our students opportunities to enact the Four Cares, representing our school with pride!
We welcome Mr Kris Olsen back in Week 5. Thank you to Mrs Jess Rivett for filling in for Kris during his absence. Jess will continue to backfill Mr Mills on Fridays.
On Saturday, Mango Hill State Secondary College (MHSSC) P&C and Mango Hill State School P&C combined together to host a community quiz night. I have heard this was a huge success and lots of fun was had. Thank you to the high school P&C for their support and coordination and also to MHSSC for the use of their hall. Thank you also to Robert K, Natasha C and Melissa T for assisting with the coordination of the night. Thank you also to Michelle B and Radhika R for their help and kind donations.
Last week we farewelled Miss Sheehan and thanked her for her wonderful contribution to our school’s dance program. Miss Sheehan has choreographed and taught our junior dance club, junior eisteddfod jazz and senior eisteddfod lyrical dances. The Junior Dance Club will continue as usual with Mrs Claire Morrell on Thursdays at first break. This term, Ms Glenda Kostoglou will continue to rehearse the junior team and the lyrical dance for the upcoming Arts Parade and she will also have the eisteddfod audition for the team of 2025. Those students who are successful at the audition will go into one Eisteddfod Team. The audition will be open to all students currently in Years 1 to 5. Ms Kostoglou and Mrs Morrell will also continue to have a Wakakirri team in 2025, and the audition will be in Term 1 of 2025. They will be opening up the Wakakirri audition to students from Years 3 to 6 (current Year 2 to 5). We look forward to continuing our dance programs so that the students have the opportunity to further their dance skills and experiences at our school.
The school is currently preparing the framework for our implementation of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum (ACV9). Coupled with the new version of curriculum is a new Prep – 12 Framework schools are obliged to follow. This guide provides us with information on our curriculum offerings as well as time allocations. As a result of these system changes, there will be changes to our offerings. This will have implications for how and what we report on. As such, there will have to be changes to the criteria used for determining student awards. The school will continue to update our parents and caregivers of these changes.
Please note the change of date to our next P&C meeting. Our next meeting will be held on Monday 5 August, as the following Monday 12 August is a public holiday for EKKA.
Today is Outside School Hours Care Appreciation Day. We thank our Helping Hands educators for all they do for our students, families, and school. Enjoy your day!
Focus of the Week
This week in Care Class we will focus on Care for Environment. We will identify consistent predictable routines to care for the school environment, such as the following.
- Ensuring litter is placed in the bin
- Walking on pathways to reduce erosion
- Staying out of the gardens
Consistent predictable routines help students to know what is expected of them at school, in turn supporting student wellbeing and learning. What consistent predictable routines do you have at home?
We will also focus on our school value of innovation – to find clever, creative ways of working. At Mango Hill State School, we value trying new things and having a go.
SOS Survey
Thank you to all of those who have already completed the Parent/Caregiver Survey. If you have not had a chance to complete the survey yet, please note that the online surveys will remain open until Friday 16 August 2024. This is your opportunity to provide feedback about what our school does well and how we can improve. To have your say, check your email for an invitation from the Department of Education titled School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2024. Can’t find your invitation? If your family has more than one parent/caregiver, check that they haven’t received the invitation and/or check your junk email folder.
Save the Date-Arts Fest
The Letter V
This week I have had the pleasure of visiting Prep V where they were learning their favourite letter, the letter V! When our Prep learners learn letters, they learn the letter name, the sound it makes, how to form the letter, how to say the sound alongside other known sounds to read a word, (eg van) and how to write words containing the letter and other known letter sounds. Here are some pictures of the great work going on in Prep V.
Safety
This week we held a fire drill to ensure our learners know what to do in case of an emergency situation. We were very proud of the way Prep students moved calmly and quickly to their assembly point – great job Preppies!
Raw Art
Next week we have our Raw Art incursion. If you have not already, please complete the consent form via QParents and payments can be made via BPOINT (link on invoices), Qkr!, Direct Deposit or at our payment window on Wednesday and Friday Mornings between 8:00 am and 9:00 am. Please see your class teacher if you have any questions.
Mieke Munko
Deputy Principal-Prep
mmunk1@eq.edu.au
Skip Counting is Efficient Counting!
We are all mathematicians in Year 1. And when we are mathematicians, we need to be efficient and explain our thinking.
The ‘explaining our thinking’ part is different to when we were at school! Our maths was ‘right or wrong.’ But now we know that the more deeply students can think about why something is or isn’t a certain way, the more deeply they understand maths concepts.
So it’s not about counting in 2s, 5s and 10s by rote. It’s about choosing the most efficient way to count a large collection and proving our answer by explaining our thinking.
Seems tricky, doesn’t it?
It can be! The more we practise, the better we get at this. We need to fail and try again and fail and try again. We need to develop the disposition of mathematicians. If we are wrong, who cares? Sometimes we won’t be right until we’ve been wrong.
You can help us by encouraging your child to ‘have a go.’ At maths. At unpacking their own bag. At household jobs. None of us are perfect, so we won’t do everything perfectly every time. But every time we try, we build that muscle memory of ‘having a go’ and every time we praise our Year 1 friends for ‘having a go’ we help build that disposition to try.
Have a lovely week!
Melinda White
Deputy Principal- Year 1
mwhit37@eq.edu.au
Specialist Lessons in Year 2
We are so fortunate to have such wonderful specialist teachers who provide our students with a rich range of learning experiences.
Here are some of the highlights from specialists lessons in Year 2.
STEM
This term the students in Year 2 are exploring how they can be cyber safe. They have been creating a portfolio of posters explaining how to be cyber safe and why it is important for personal safety.
Physical Education
This term the students are demonstrating fundamental movement skills while using scooters and scooter boards. They have been manoeuvring along different pathways and through a range of obstacles. They have loved performing movement challenges and games with partners to solve team-based challenges.
Italian
In Italian, the children have been getting ready for their upcoming Gelato incursion. This incursion will be held on Thursday in Week 8. The students are learning how to order and pay for a gelato in Italian. They will even create a poster to advertise a gelato using language to describe it and the cost.
Music
The students have been working hard in Music to learn and compose a simple song on the ukulele.
Checkout the students in 2P and 2C at their specialist lessons this week.
Kylie Vaughan
Deputy Principal-
Year 2
kvaug3@eq.edu.au
Planetarium Visit
This week we visited the Planetarium and Botanical Gardens. Our students stepped inside the Cosmic Skydome to learn more about night and day. This excursion also supported our students through their health unit for this term, where we are learning all about how our emotional responses may vary and identifying how to interact positively with others in a variety of situations. Students thought about a way in which they were challenged or unsure during the excursion, identifying a strategy they used to overcome the challenge. Some students thought about how they might have been worried about the dark room in the planetarium and chose to sit next to a friend for support.
A big thank you to all our wonderful parent helpers who volunteered to join us over the three days.
Playtime in Year 4
In Year 4, it has been great seeing our students show care for others in and out of the classroom. We have a range of different play options available for our students, and we are encouraging our students to try different areas to encourage variety in play and build connections with further peers. It is very normal for children to sometimes have a disagreement with their peers. It might be about the rules of the game, turn taking or deciding what they will do at play. But it is how we negotiate that demonstrates our Care for Others when those situations arise. We teachers are continuing to build students' confidence in using the High 5 to problem solve tricky social situations.
We are also using the language of actions and words that will 'push others away' or 'bring others closer'. We have been encouraging students to communicate with their peers proactively, kindly and use actions that encourage positive friendships to bring them closer. It has been so lovely to see and hear students using their words to talk friendly to their peers.
Danielle O'Brien
Deputy Principal- Year 4
dxobr0@eq.edu.au
Academic Achievement
It was great to be in Year 5 classes this week while students unpacked what was required to create a moment-in-time description from a character’s point of view. Students are using poetry as a medium as it often captures the feelings and thinking of a character in a succinct manner, as opposed to a narrative. In poetry authors use each word and sentence with great purpose to influence the reader.
Maths – Fractions
In Maths students have been learning about adding and subtracting fractions and continuing number patterns. This has included ragged decimals.
Ragged decimal patterns are when the place value representation changes while maintaining the pattern.
E.g. 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.25
In this example the pattern is going up by .25 and is switching between being represented in tenths and hundredths.
Wellbeing
This week it was great to see students applying some of the skills they learnt while being at camp. Students have been demonstrating excellent group work, cooperation, resilience and demonstrating compassion towards each other. Well done Yr. 5 and keep up the great work.
Greg McCallum
Deputy Principal- Year 5
gmcca24@eq.edu.au
Presenting Slam Poetry
It’s been fascinating observing the learning of our Year 6 students in their slam poetry unit to begin this term. Not only have students had to write their own powerful poem, but they are required to present it, as well as listen to the poems presented by their peers, asking open questions to challenge, clarify or connect to the poet’s choices.
In presenting their poems, students are encouraged to use a range of voice effects to engage and connect with the audience, including volume, pace, tone, pitch and pausing. I recommend getting your child to practise by presenting their poem to you at home!
Graduation
Our next Graduation Committee meeting is tonight at 5pm in Wandani (the building at the far end of the piazza). Tonight we will be planning our fundraising activities for Arts Fest. Thank you to the small businesses who have donated prizes for the raffle so far. If you would like to donate a prize for the raffle to raise money for Year 6 Graduation, please email me at bxmil3@eq.edu.au .
Interschool Sport
Our first round of Interschool Sport for Term 3 begins this Friday. Students will be meeting with their teams on Thursday for final reminders about what they need for Friday. Please double check with them before school on Friday to ensure they have everything they need for the day.
Students will begin the day with their class, before moving into their sporting groups at 9:15 am. Most buses will return to the school between 1:45 pm and 2 pm. Students will spend the remainder of the afternoon with the staff leading their sport and be dismissed, as per usual, at 2:45 pm.
Students not attending Interschool Sport will be grouped and participate in learning activities with the Year 6 teachers remaining at school, from 9:15 am.
Uniform
There has been a great improvement with uniforms across Year 6 over the past week. Our Year 6 students set the standard for the rest of the school. We appreciate your support in ensuring they come to school wearing the correct uniform, as per the school’s dress code: https://mangohillss.eq.edu.au/SupportAndResources/FormsAndDocuments/Documents/Policies/mango-hill-state-school-dress-code-2021.pdf
Awards Ceremony
The Year 6 awards ceremony will be held on Monday 5 August. The ceremony will begin at 8:45 am in Gigum Hall. I look forward to celebrating the remarkable achievements of our Year 6 students’ Semester 1 efforts at this time.
Ben Mills
Deputy Principal –Year 6
bxmil3@eq.edu.au
AR Millionaires
One of the great aspects of the AR program is the ability for students to set their own goals. This year we have celebrated with lots of students as they reached their goals.
Late last week we had two more students reach their goals. Eloise read 1 million words and Lucy read 2 million words. We are so proud of both these eager readers and have added a special photo of them to our AR display in the Hub.
Congratulations also to Rohan who this week has finished AR. This means he has quizzed all the way up to AR 9.0 – what an extraordinary achievement!
Well done Eloise, Lucy and Rohan!
Pop on down to see the display and to borrow another book from the Hub this week. The Hub is open every day from 8.15am and until 3pm in the afternoons. See you soon!
Learning about Health
This term all of our students will continue their learning about healthy eating and developing healthy habits as part of the concepts described in the Health and Physical Education syllabus. Making healthy choices and reflecting on the ways in which we can enhance these choices, is important for all of us. Students will consider ways to be physically active, identify how to take care of themselves as their body changes, reflect on the ways emotions and identities develop, and discuss the ways others impact their own health choices.
This is a great term to encourage some family discussions. Taking care of our health and well-being is a life-long task and one that requires plenty of reflection, planning and action!
- What do we do as a family to stay healthy?
- What other choices could we make about food, physical activities and using our free time wisely?
- Who are the people that influence our own ideas and health and well-being?
Have a fantastic week
Suzette Holm
shol0@eq.edu.au
Wow, what a week we have had at the Pine Rivers District Track & Field Trials. In great conditions at the new venue of Nudgee College last Wednesday and Thursday, our 40 athletes competed in events including running, high jump, long jump, discus, shot put and team relays.
All students who participated qualified based on their performance at the Mango Hill Athletics Day. Students also completed practise early in the term and I must congratulate those students who turned up each morning. Your commitment was rewarded with these great results.
With 22 primary schools competing and approximately 50 students in each event, competition was extremely strong.
Individual Highlights
For some students, this was their first taste of athletics at a representative level, so it was an experience just to be involved. It was great to see all of Mango Hill students striving to achieve their best result and cheering on their teammates.
We would like to celebrate some great individual achievements from the carnival as well. The following students were able to place high enough in their events to be selected in the Pine Rivers District Track & Field Team. These students will now compete at the Metropolitan North Track & Field Trials later this term.
10 year girls
- Eden F – Discus 1st, 100m 2nd
- Siena-Shay T – Discus 3rd, Shot Put 3rd
- Pania P – Shot Put 1st, High Jump 2nd
10 year boys
- Patrick T – Shot Put 3rd
- Jack M – Discus 2nd
- Lian N – 100m 3rd, 200m 3rd, Shot Put 1st, Discus 1st, High Jump 2nd
- Jackson M – High Jump 4th
11 year girls
- Emilia M – 1500m 2nd, 800m 2nd
- Marzennah L – Shot Put 2nd
- Jessica H – Discus 2nd
11 year boys
- Jaxon F – Discus 1st, Shot Put 1st
- Gurikk – Shot Put 3rd
12 year girls
- April W – 800m 4th
12 year boys
- Peter P – High Jump 3rd
- Lachlan S – 100m 2nd, Long Jump 4th
A special mention must also be made for Lian N. For only the 2nd time in Mango Hill State School history, a Pine Rivers District Track & Field record, which have been kept for over 40 years, has been broken by one of our students. Lian is now the proud owner of the 11 year Boys Discus record. The previous record, which was set back in 2017, was 26.98m. Lian comfortably beat that record throwing an amazing 30.06m. The first 11 year student ever to break the 30m barrier. A huge congratulations to Lian!
Thank you to all of the parents who came to support the students and those who offered to help other students during the competition. Your support is much appreciated, and it helped the team to achieve success at the carnival. We are all proud of the commitment and effort from all students. It was a wonderful display of Team Mango!
Mr Hills, Mr Newell, Mrs Fuller and Mr Lisha
Physical Education Teachers